July 2011 - The Cooper School

The Cooper School, Bicester
Where ‘Learning Matters’
Issue No. 18
July 2011
FROM THE HEADTEACHER
‘This is an outstanding school which continuously strives to improve further.’
This was the first comment on the Ofsted report following the inspection in May and it summarises what the
school is about. As I welcome you to the final newsletter of the academic year, it is with great pride that I am
able to say that The Cooper School is an outstanding school. This is testament to the hard work of everyone
involved in the school – our motivated teaching staff, our committed support staff, our supportive governors,
our dedicated students and last but by no means least the parents/guardians of our students. To gain an outstanding school status is no mean achievement and without everyone mentioned above it could not happen. I am
proud to be Headteacher of The Cooper School and I hope you all enjoy the same pride in the continuing
achievements of the school.
Whilst this academic year has been an exciting one I believe next year will be even more so. We will not be resting on our laurels and we will continue to provide high quality education for the students in our school. Those
students will be expanded in terms of numbers to include our first ever Sixth Form students as the new Post 16
block opens in September. I have watched, with both interest and amazement, the growth of the building from
the very outset last August when the ground was broken for the first time to the official opening by Councillors
Charles Shouler and Michael Waine.
I will be in school in August for the GCSE results day and I hope that our students who arrive, no doubt in trepidation, are successful. We will be enrolling our first Sixth Form intake on the same day, August 25th and Mrs
Mallalieu-Needle and her team will be on site that day to formally sign up our new students. There will also be a
number of Year 10 students coming in for their results and I wish them all well.
As ever at this time of year we say farewell to several members of
staff. Mr Simms (D&T) and Mrs Ellard (Science) have both been
at the school many years and are both retiring from teaching. Mr
Simms has been at the school for 33 years 12 of those as Head of
Year, Mrs Ellard has a similar distinguished record at the school
with 20 years service, the last 8 as Head of Science.
Mrs Whiffen (MFL) and Mrs Douglas (Art) art taking up teaching
posts elsewhere whilst Miss Miller (Science) and Miss Box (Maths)
are leaving the school to pursue other careers. Mrs McMillan
(Maths) begins a period of maternity leave whilst Mrs Orford
(English) returns following the birth of her second son. Mrs Harris
is leaving her Cover Supervisor role to gain
formal teaching qualifications.
We welcome many new staff in September, not just to replace those mentioned above but also to accommodate
the new Sixth Form and our increasing student numbers in the lower school. Mr Whannel is taking over as Head
of Science whilst we also welcome Misses Hewison, Sparshott, Brooke-Bullard, Haynes, Patchett, Griffiths &
Dodwell, Mrs Fitzherbert and Mr Dean, Mr Surrall, Mr Allum, Mr Coggins and Mr Gettings. I suspect we will
have as many teachers wandering around looking lost in the first two weeks of the new term as we will have Year
7 students!
In closing, I wish you all a very good summer break, hoping the sun shines on you wherever you are and that
your children come back refreshed in September ready for another fantastic year.
Trip to the botanical gardens 29th march (Year 10 3D Art Class)
Overall the day was both enjoyable and productive, the students used inspiration from the plants in the
botanical garden to develop a monoprint. It was apparent that the students were pleasantly surprised
when looking at seed pods and stamen under the microscope as they hadn't realised the incredible
'artisitc' structure of plants. Trying to take photographs down the microscope lens and mixing the paints
all reinforced the idea that plants are fun; whilst the tour of the gardens showed how they need to be
conserved to preserve biodiversity! The final monoprint created at the end of the trip, can be used toward their research for GCSE art..
E Miller
Science Department
SUPER HERO SCIENCE
'All students in Year 7 and 8 were lucky enough to meet a 'Supervillian Scientist' today by the name of Dr. Fear T. Shadow.
Dr. Shadow came all the way from his evil lair at Science Oxford to teach the students about some of the ways he uses his
science knowledge to defeat comic book superheroes including the Invisible Woman, Flash and the Human Torch.
He showed the students some of the methods he uses to trick and capture superheroes, for example, he explained
why energy saving light bulbs make it very hard for the Invisible Woman to see where she is going! He also showed how he
is able to copy some super powers, such as using electrostatic charges to fly like Storm from the X Men! A good time was
had by all, and students have certainly learnt a lot about this unusual application of science!'
ECO TIP
Millions of new mobile phone handsets are bought each
year in the UK – but as few as 14% of the old handsets
they are replacing get reused or recycled. Look into recycling your old phone it could be worth some money!!
NOTICE RE STUDENT PHONE CALLS
MADE FROM RECEPTION
Please note that should any students wish to make
non-urgent phone calls from Reception they will
be charged 10p per call.
All other calls made by Reception will be free of
charge.
The Cooper School
Little Wittenham Visit
On Wednesday 6th July 2011, 34 year 10 geographers and
environmental scientists went
to Little Wittenham,
Oxfordshire. The day was
enjoyed by all, especially when
the girls beat the boys in the
shelter building
competition!
Luckily the weather was nice
to us, allowing time to be
spent on practicing their fieldwork skills. Team work and communication
skills were used effectively by all and they had fun!
STARS SHINE AT COOPER
On Tuesday 5th July, The Cooper School Bicester staged it’s very own X Factor style Stars competition to a packed audience of family and
cheering friends. Over 70 students, aged 11 through to 15, auditioned for the competition and 21 performers managed to make it through to
the final.
The judges, who included; Rose Stratford, Mayor of Bicester; Tony Rushworth, Deputy Head; Cate
Mallalieu-Needle, Head of the new sixth form and Lauren Kerwin and Harry Magnay, year 11
students; had the difficult task of choosing the winners.
The students certainly reached high and the standard of performance was fantastic, ranging from contemporary songs from Kate Nash to musical theatre numbers from the West End that enthralled and
entertained the audience throughout.
Laila Thomas, aged 12 won the year 7/8 category for a soulful rendition of “if I ain’t got you” by Alicia
Keys and is definitely a voice to listen out for in the future. Mollie Fowler won the year 9/10 category
with a very moving and a cappella performance of “Mama who bore me” that put a spotlight on talent,
but the overall prize and Stars trophy went to Dianna
Ward aged 14 with a superb performance of “Upside
Down” by Paloma Faith. She would
certainly challenge Paloma with her charisma and
stage presence.
Well done to everyone who auditioned and took part, these were definitely the students of
today, reaching for the Stars and very possibly becoming the sound of tomorrow!
Eleven of the acts from last week’s Stars competition performed again to a packed hall
of enthusiastic year 6 students. At the end of the performance the students voted for
their favourite acts and the winner of their vote was
GEORGIA BAKER singing Unfaithful. Well done to everybody and Congratulations
to Georgia.
The Cooper School
SIXTH FORM OPENING
Yesterday saw the biggest event in The Cooper School’s history in the last 20 years with the opening of the carbon
neutral, purpose built Sixth Form block.
With ten purpose built classrooms, common rooms, social area and offices. The building was officially opened by
Councillors Charles Shouler, Michael Waine and Headteacher Ben Baxter.
Many local businesses and County Council officials were represented at the opening which was held in bright
sunshine on Wednesday 20th July.
Following the ceremony all staff and students were given the opportunity to see the completed building using
state of the art technology. The building is carbon neutral generating enough electricity in the summer using
high tech equipment to supply both its own needs with the excess going back to the National Grid.
There will be 110 Sixth Form students during the first year. This is certainly an exciting time for
education in Bicester.
It is my great pleasure to welcome you
to the official opening of the new Sixth
Form Facility. The opening represents a
great opportunity for students in and
around Bicester.
Ben Baxter, Headteacher
I am so looking forward to welcoming
the first intake of students in September
to this fantastic building and anticipate
a great future for them as they extend
their education.
Cate Mallalieu-Needle
Director of Post 16 Studies
The Cooper School
Monday 18th July 2011 – Design a new country
Their mission was to create aspects of a brand new country. Students could choose who they worked with, which aspects to design and how to
present it. Our year 8’s were very inventive, even more than we could have hoped for! Videos, sound bites, models, powerpoints, posters and
more! Some beautiful national anthems sung. Some funny national languages created. Some delicious national dishes formulated. They put all
their energy in to their new countries and it was very challenging to decide who would be short listed for the top three. There were two
nominees for each of the nine aspects. After many debates the top three (in no particular order) were:
“Bagam” – Georgia Sargent, Amie Warner, Megan Valentine, Ashma Ali and Becka Aspley
“Coral Island” – Corin Scott, Megan Lelliott, Meg Scott, Rebecca Cannon and Jess du Plessis
“Jackanory” –Josie Stone, Emily Whiteley, Chloe Morgan, Georgia Tagg, Anna Lamche and Hannah Thomson
Congratulations to you three groups and all year 8. You were a pleasure to work with! Thanks to all staff that helped and Lauren Webb, Gemma
Siddall, Anita Tafirenyika, Lizzy Lee and Chloe Berry – it wouldn’t have been possible without your kind input! A fun-filled day.
The Cooper School
CATERING DEPARTMENT - SUMMER 2011
Working in the Catering Department, will sometimes provide a guide to the difficulties parents can experience on a
daily basis, especially, when having to cater for food. The challenge everyone is facing is that food prices are currently running at over five percent, compared with this time last year. The Catering department has continued to
offer the highest standards, whilst prices to the customer have been maintained for the third year in a row. However, this will be reviewed before the new school year, and where it is possible to keep prices at the same level, it is
intended to do so, but some prices will have to be increased. These proposed rises will be kept to a minimum. We
are sure you will be sympathetic to the predicament everyone is currently experiencing. In fact our costs have risen
by nearly five percent, annually, over the past three years.
On a brighter note, the school is eagerly anticipating the opening of the new sixth form building and on Wednesday
20 July 2011, it will be officially opened and the department is looking forward to contributing towards this occasion, in addition to providing the catering requirements to the new sixth formers next year and beyond.
Just to remind everyone that the School Food Trust is a very good organisation set up to review and recommend
food served in schools, and has a website which can be visited on www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk. If you get the time,
please have a look at the site; it has a wealth of information concerning school meals.
We welcome any feedback to help us improve the service, and in doing so you will have a say in the health of your
children.
Colin Epathite.
Catering Manager.
REWARD FOR ATTENDANCE
Congratulations to Tutor Group AUSTEN 17 who
had the highest overall attendance percentage of the
school year. As a reward the group were treated to a
day out at Drayton Manor Theme Park on Friday
15th July.
Mr Baxter said ' Not only does this reward the
students of Austen 17 but we believe it will also act
as an incentive for other tutor groups in the new
school year starting in September.'
The Cooper School
Congratulations to the following students who achieved 98-100%
attendance from May - July 2011
AUSTEN
Allison, Libbie
Arrowsmith, Ross
Baldwin, Max
Bateman, Charlie
Beckett, Georgina
Beckett, William
Brain, Megan
Coaker, Daron
Collette, Lucy
Connor, Zachary
Cooke, Ben
Coulling-Green, Sophie
Cox, Alexander
Crawford, Jack
Cullen, Jack
Daniels, Jack
Giddins, Daniel
Gould, Celia
Gould, Thomas
Green, Stephen
Grundy, Harry
Heijink, Daniel
Holbem, Verity
Howlett, Chloe
Hunter, Lucy
James, Joshua
Laird, Callum
Lamburn, Jessica
Mansell, Laura
Perkins, Catherine
Powell, Emily
Reynolds, Samuel
Skellern, Sam
Smith, Chloe
Spinks, Reagan
Steadman, Georgina
Waugh, Lucy
White, Rebecca
Williams, Jodie
CHURCHILL
Aris, Timothy
Atkinson, Jamie
Baggett, Sophie
Barber, Lewis
Blackwell, Luke
Bowler, Robert
Cannon, Rebecca
Channer, Chloe
Coates, Jack
Collins, Alex
Courtney, Georden
CHURCHILL
Courtney, Georden
Courtney, Mason
Croucher, Herbie
Davis, Fern
Dodsworth, Chloe
Dodsworth, Thomas
Gahan, Alex
Ganatra, Jake
Gibson, Charlotte
Grose, Katie
Hertz, Jacob
Hobden, Laura
Jakeman, Arun
Kelly, Ian
Kelly, Shannon
Kip, Declan
Knights, Cecily
Lambourne, Demi
Mann, Thomas
Marshall, Alexandra
Mason, James
Michaelidou, Lito
Mitchell, James
Morgan, Chloe
Newell, Charlie
Nicholls, Garin
Olah, Amy
Plowman, Blake
Quinn-Taylor, Danielle
Read, Darcey
Reynolds, Joel
Shepherd, Owen
Sheppard, Jack
Smith, Darius
Stirrat, Jack
Tagg, Georgia
Thomas, Ruth
Thomson, Hannah
Ward, Thomas
Webb, Ryan
Whittaker, Emma
Whittington, Chloe
Wills, Michael
Wood, Adam
Wray, Matthew
The Cooper School, Churchill Road, Bicester, Oxon OX26 4RS
MOORE
Bartram, Kyle
Bartram, Rhian
Boik, Samuel
Bowen, Ashley
Boyle, Emma
Carty, Samuel
Chapman, Thomas
Cheesman, Rebecca
Cody, Ella
Cole, Kristen
Collins, Kai
Craft, Peter
Daniel, Chloe
Dawson, Katrina
Daykin, Holly
Edwards-Giraud, Zarius
Ganatra, Jordan
Gardiner, Georgia
Gardner, Lewis
Giles, Asha
Golder, Charlotte
Golder, Rachael
Howard, William
Kew, Sophie
Lakner, Hope
Lewis, Barnaby
Lough-Scott, Hollie
Loverock, Sasha
Macavinta, John Samuel
McConville, Buster
McGregor, Camilla
Nolte, Amy
Penny, Matthew
Pickett, Gareth
Pugh, Gemma
Raven, Christopher
Robbins, Alex
Rushby, Carl
Sapnik, Adam
Sevak, Punit
Sheppard, Sophie
Staples, Misha
Upstone, Joshua
Warner, Louis
Waters, Anna
Waters, Beth
Webster, Aimee
White, Thomas
Whitehouse, Chloe
Wright, Jordon
Wright, Matthew
Young, Ryan
01869 242121
Congratulations to the following students who achieved 98-100%
attendance from January - May—July 2011
NEWTON
Barber, Rebekah
Barden-Sheen, Drew
Benakrab, Chantelle
Bennett, Shauna
Bosher, Laura
Bryant, Emily
Byrne, Rachel
Cadle, Hollianne
Carder, Evelyn
Cheesman, Katie
Deller, Abby
Foster, Kirsty
Fryer, Hugh
Gee, Phoebe
Hicks, Leah
Jordan, William
Kailla, Shernice
Kisack, Cio
Kuhne, Aidan
Laitt, Samuel
Lelliott, Megan
Mann, Sarah
McMillan, David
Megarity, Courtenay
Merritt, Oliver
Morrison, Hannah
Muddle, George
Murray, Cameron
Nash, Bethany
Nash, Jasmine
Nolte, Thomas
Nugent, Jessica
Page, Lauren
Painter, Edward
Pell, Oliver
Perkins, Rebecca
Pexton, Daniel
Phipps, Adam
Prewitt, Chloe
Purnell, Katie
Smith, Ashley
Smith, Courtney
Stokes, Ashley
Swanson, Daniel
Szczepanik, Antoni
Thompson, Deborah
Thurlow, William
Tracoshas, Antony
Waugh, Andrew
West, Luke
NEWTON
White, Bethany
Whiteley, Charlotte
Whybrow, Emmy
Wilkinson, Holly
NIGHTINGALE
Ayers, Hana
Baldwin, Oscar
Benfield, Emily
Blake, James
Bowden, Reece
Clargo, Laura
Crisp, Amy
Dawson, James
Djebbar, Jude
Donohoe, Georgie
Dyer, Luke
Fowler, Melissa
Fowler, Zoe
Goss, Frances
Gurung, Aashika
Hawtin, Cameron
Hill, Emily
Howlett, Scott
Humphreys, Bethan
Jackson, Kane
Keen, Daniel
Langton, Matthew
Lyons, Jack
Macquarrie, James
Matthews, Jordan
McDonagh, Patrick
Mitchell, Daniel
Moorhouse, Eleanor
Mulligan, Jake
Nash, Harrison
Newby, Jacob
Nolan, Chancey
Palmer, Taila
Raven, Matthew
Richards, George
Richings, Zoe
Rider, Natalie
Rowland, Joseph
Sanjivi, Keerthana
Skosana, Thembelihle
Small, Tristan
Sturgess, Isabella
NIGHTINGALE
Thomas, Megan
Troth, Rachael
Valentine, Megan
Waddup, Matthew
Walsh, Leanne
Ward, Callum
Warner, Michael
Whiteley, Emily
Wick, Mason
Wilson, Madison
GCSE EXAMINATION RESULTS
RESULTS DAY!
THURSDAY 25TH AUGUST
DIARY DATES
2011/2012
TERM 6
Friday 22nd July
End of Term 6
TERM 1
Monday 5th September
Tuesday 6th September
Wednesday 7th September
Thursday 8th September
Friday 7th October
Friday 21st October
INSET DAY
INSET DAY
Y7& Y10 Return to school
ALL return to school
INSET DAY
End of Term 1
TERM 2
Monday 31st October
Friday 16th December
Students return to school
End of Term 2
TERM 3
Tuesday 3rd January
Wednesday 4th January
Friday 10th February
INSET DAY
Students return to school
End of Term 3
TERM 4
Monday 20th February
Thursday 29th March
Friday 30th March
Students return to school
End of Term 4
INSET DAY
TERM 5
Monday 16th April
Monday 7th May
Friday 1st June
Students return to school
BANK HOLIDAY
End of Term 5
TERM 6
Monday 11th June
Friday 20th July
10.00am - 12.00pm
11.00am - 12.00pm
Year 11 Students
Year 10 Students
10.00am—2.00pm
SIXTH FORM ENROLMENT
HELP RAISE MONEY FOR
THE COOPER SCHOOL
If you are thinking of doing any shopping online you can help raise
money for The Cooper School at no extra cost to yourselves using
the 'Buy At' scheme.
If you are making an online purchase from any online retailer in the
scheme, you can enter their website via the Cooper School website.
The link is about halfway down the first page of the school website
on the left hand side under 'Support Cooper School - Use Our
Online Shop'. Retailers include Amazon, Game, M&S, Next etc
and when you have entered the website of your choice you proceed
in the same way as you would normally.
Each time anyone makes a purchase by entering via the
Cooper website a donation is made to us without it costing you
anything.
Your support with this scheme would be much appreciated as it
helps raise some much needed funds for the school.
Mrs Jeacock
Finance Secretary
PHOTOGRAPHS POLICY
Students return to school
End of Term 6
The School has a very active publicity policy and often publishes
photographs of students in the press. If you do not wish your
child to appear in any press releases please inform the School in
writing.
APPLICATION FOR HOLIDAY ABSENCE FOR STUDENTS IN
YEARS 10 AND 11.
The format of GCSE examination for students in Year 10 and 11 has changed. Many subjects
are now of a modular type. Examinations, both practical and written, occur throughout the
whole of the two school years. Students are also required to produce coursework at various
times over the two years. It is vital if students are to reach their potential in the examinations
that they maximise their school attendance in Years 10 and 11.
ECO TIP
Make or buy less toxic or
biodegradable cleaning products
We are finding that holiday applications from parents for students to be absent from school are
increasing and regularly clash with Examination dates and periods of
coursework and study periods for the modular Exams.
If a student fails to sit an examination because of holiday they may not be able to sit the examination at a later stage. This will affect the final grade they achieve in the
examination.
Because of the importance of student’s final two years of schooling towards their
success at The Cooper School we will adopting the policy from the start of the school year 20102011 not to authorise any holiday applications for any student during
Year 10 and 11 during school time.
We hope that parents will appreciate that we have made this decision in the interest of their
child’s education.
Applications for students within Years 7 to 9 will continue to be considered in the
normal way.
Mr K Clayton
Attendance Officer
The Cooper School, Churchill Road, Bicester, Oxon OX26 4RS
SCHOOL COUNSELLOR
If you have any worries or
concerns, our School
Counsellor is happy to discuss
them with you in private.
A form is available from
Reception if you would like to
book an appointment.
01869 242121
SPORTS NEWS
The Cooper Family Kwik Cricket Festival 2011
The
FamilyFamily
Sportshall
Athletics
Programme
2011 at Bicester and North Oxford Cricket
The annual Kwik Cricket Festival
forCooper
The Cooper
of Primary
Schools
took place
ClubKS4
at Chesterton
on 27 May 2011. This event was organised by The Cooper School on behalf of The North Oxfordshire
students from The Cooper School have been busy running a programme of athletics activities for Year 5 and 6
School
Sport
Partnership.
One
hundred
and twenty
5 anda6leader
children
participated
in fourteen
the festival,
provided the
children from The Cooper
Family
of Primary
Schools.Year
Following
training
session, the
Yearwhich
10 students
perfect
youngthe
people
to put
theirwere
cricket
to about
the test
a competitive
but fun
environment.
led aopportunity
taster sessionfor
in which
younger
children
ableskills
to learn
andinpractise
the Sportshall
Athletics
events.
Following on from this, the KS4 Leaders ran two separate competitions for the young athletes, providing appropriate
Eighteen
Year 9 for
students
from
Cooper
School,
who
had taken
in a cricket
training
help prepare them
opportunities
children
of allThe
abilities.
Around
ninety
children
from part
Langford
Village, leader
Glory Farm
andsession
LauntontoPrimary
Schools
took
partresponsibility
in this year’s programme.
for the
event,
took
for umpiring the matches. They also ran warm up activities and skills practices for the younger
children.
As ever, the competitions, held in the sportshall at The Cooper School, were hotly contested and great fun.The first, on 4
March
2011,
in which the
majorityVillage,
of the young
Teams
from
Longfields,
Langford
Gloryathletes
Farm,taking part were representing their School for the first time at an
inter-school sports event, was won by Langford Village School. Langford Village continued their good form when another
Finmere
and
Launton
Primary
Schools
played
in
the
Fesof their teams won the second competition on 9 March 2011. Lesley Newell and Steve Flynn, coaches from Bicester
tival.Athletic
Six teams
contested
the
girls’
competition,
which
Club were on hand to support at the leader training session and the Festivals, offering advice to the young athletes
was and
played
on and
a “league”
basis.
was close
leaders
presenting
the Competition
trophies and certificates.
with three teams tied at the top of the table at the end of
the event.
A countAthletics
back ofactivities
runs scored
by each
team
was School are part of a programme of Sportshall Athletics events,
The Sportshall
organised
by The
Cooper
provided
by the North
Oxfordshire
School
Sport Partnership.
The winning teams have qualified for the North Oxfordshire
needed
to determine
the outcome
with
Langford
Village
School
Partnership
Finals
which will
take place
later this month.
winning
theSport
tournament,
from
Launton
in second
place
and Glory Farm in third. Seven teams took part in the
G Allen
boys’Mrs
event,
which was played in two pools followed by
SSCo The Cooper School
play-off matches. The Langford Village boys matched the
achievement of their girls’ team in winning the competition, beating Longfields by just one run in a thrilling and
skilful final. Glory Farm took third place.
Members of the winning teams from Langford Village
School were presented with certificates and trophies.
These teams have qualified for the forthcoming County
Kwik Cricket Finals.
Mrs G Allen
School Sport Co-ordinator
The Cooper School
YR 9 LEADERSHIP OF KWIK CRICKET FOR PRIMARY SCHOOLS
Matthew Penny
Luke Dyer
Lewis Hallam
Rikki King
Hollianne Cadle
Rebecca Mattingley
Ian Kelly
Harry Card
Joe Rowland
Sophie Berry
Jake Archer
Harry Trinder
Ellie Speed
Rosie Thompson
Mason Wick-Wilson
Holly Daykin
Hollie Stone
Katie Cannon
ECO TIP
Chop up banana skins and put them
around the base of roses, they love the
potassium and will reward you with
bigger and better blooms
The Cooper School
SPORTS NEWS
Cooper School Sports Leaders 2010-11
Cooper School Sports Leaders 2010-11
Cooper School Sports Leaders have continued to run a range of highly successful sports festivals for primary
school children, with more than one hundred and thirty students from Years 8 to 11 having been involved in this
year’s Sports Leadership Programme. The student leaders take part in a training session prior to each festival before using their finely tuned skills to run the various sports activities and competitions for the visiting children.
More than a thousand primary school children from Years 1 to 6 have participated in the sports festivals held at
Cooper during this School year. Since the last School newsletter the following Festivals have taken place: Yr 5/6
Cooper Family Gifted and Talented Sportshall Athletics, Yr 5/6 Cooper Family Sportshall Athletics for targeted
children (less confident performers who do not normally take part in sport beyond school time), North Oxfordshire School Sport Partnership Yr 5/6 Sportshall Athletics Final, Yr 1 Cooper Family Dance, Yr 3/4 Bicester
Area Girls’ Football, Yr 5/6 Cooper Family Kwik Cricket (held at Bicester and North Oxford Cricket Club) and
Yr 3/4 Cooper Family Summer Athletics. All of these events have been offered in conjunction with the North
Oxfordshire School Sport Partnership and many have involved community sports providers, such as Bicester
Athletic Club and the Oxfordshire Football Association, to “signpost” young participants and KS 3/4 Sports
Leaders to further opportunities available to them in local clubs.
Feedback from all the festivals has been very positive. The following comments are just a selection of those received and are testimony to the fine performance of our Sports Leaders: “We had great fun, thanks very much!”,
“The young leaders were brilliant with the children”, “All the children had a great time”, “The leaders were a
credit to Cooper”, “The event went very well. Please thank your leadership students for being such a pleasure to
work with. They were well organised and competent”, “Excellent leaders; very encouraging, helpful and supportive”, “An excellent event. Thank you all.”
Many congratulations to all our KS 3 and 4 Sports Leaders.
Dance Leaders (Yr 8): Elizabeth Richards, Antonia Sauvain, Molly Painting, Verity Holbem, Genevieve Jupp,
Megan Moore, Evelyn Carder, Danielle Quinn-Taylor, Lito Michaelidou, Chelsea Dawe, Hana Ayers, Chloe
Daniel, Megan Valentine, Amie Warner, Lucy Astbury, Joseph Swadling, Joel Reynolds, Joshua Barwell, Harry
Wadley, Jessica Hunter, Jack Griffin, Dylan Cowles, Jordan Poole, Liam Ford, Chloe Dodsworth and Emma
Whittaker.
Sportshall Athletics Leaders (Yr 10): Neil Cole, Nina Brown, Ben Dawe, Pippa Burge, Ed Burgess, Nathalie
Deeley, Anthony Tracoshas, Jack Sheppard, Demi Lambourne, Rafael Garcia-Krailing, Charlotte Cannon, Ian
Grant-Casey, Emily Hill and Lucy Waugh.
Football Leaders: Hollianne Cadle, Ellie Speed and Rebekah Hunt (all Yr 9) and Pippa Burge, Demi Lambourne
and Kathryn Oates (all Yr 10).
Kwik Cricket Leaders (Yr 9): Matthew Penny, Lewis Hallam, Rikki King, Ian Kelly, Sophie Berry, Ellie Speed,
Mason Wick-Wilson, Hollie Stone, Luke Dyer, Hollianne Cadle, Harry Card, Jake Archer, Rosie Thompson,
Holly Daykin, Katie Cannon, Rebecca Mattingley, Joe Rowland and Harry Trinder.
Summer Athletics Leaders (Yr 8): Tom Nolte, Holly Martin, Brad Wyatt, Rebecca Cannon, Meg Scott, Corin
Scott, Daniel Heijink, Cavan Scoffin-Thomas, William Woolford, Niall Murphy, Emma Whittaker, Connor Mellor, Harry Wadley, Sam Boik, Steffan Phillips, Jordan Poole, Jordan Wright, Joel Reynolds, Charlie Bateman,
The Cooper School, Churchill Road, Bicester, Oxon OX26 4RS
01869 242121
SPORTS NEWS
The Cooper Family Summer Athletics Festival 2011
The annual Summer Athletics Festival for The Cooper Family of Primary Schools took place at The Cooper School on 24 June
2011. Two hundred and ten Year 3 and 4 children, representing fifteen teams, from Langford Village, Charlton-on-Otmoor,
Launton, Glory Farm, Fringford and Longfields Schools took part.
The Festival, organised by The Cooper School on behalf of the North Oxfordshire School Sport Partnership, was run by
twenty eight Year 8 students from The Cooper School. The Sports Leaders, who had taken part in a training session to prepare them for the Festival, led warm up activities for the teams before running competitions for the younger children in a range
of track and field related events. These included the 50m, 200m, 600m, long jump, speed bounce, “howler” throw and relays.
There was no shortage of enthusiasm and skill shown by the young athletes and, at the end of the competition, there was universal agreement that the children had enjoyed taking part. The winning team, which was from Langford Village School, has
qualified for the North Oxfordshire School Sport Partnership Final which will take place on July 14.
The highly successful Festival provided challenge and competition in a fun environment. Coaches from Bicester Athletic Club
supported the leader training and were on hand at the Festival, offering support to the student leaders and encouragement and
advice to the young athletes. Members of the winning team were presented with certificates.
Mrs G Allen
School Sport Co-ordinator
The Cooper School
YR 8 LEADERSHIP OF ATHLETICS FOR PRIMARY SCHOOLS
Tom Nolte, Holly Martin, Brad Wyatt, Rebecca Cannon, Meg Scott, Corin Scott, Daniel Heijink, Cavan ScoffinThomas, William Woolford, Niall Murphy, Emma Whittaker, Connor Mellor, Harry Wadley, Sam Boik, Steffan
Phillips, Jordan Poole, Jordan Wright, Joel Reynolds, Charlie Bateman, Elizabeth Richards, Megan Lelliott, Ashleigh Foote, Sarah Mann, Hana Ayers, Lito Michaelidou, Ben Crooks, Millie Hornby, Katy Framingham.
The Cooper School, Churchill Road, Bicester, Oxon OX26 4RS
01869 242121
SPORTS NEWS
Golf Coaching Programme
Ten Cooper School students in Years 8 to 10 have enjoyed the opportunity to take
part in a six week golf coaching programme during Term 6. The weekly after School
sessions, provided by the North Oxfordshire School Sport Partnership, took place
at Kirtlington Golf Club and were run by Andy Taylor of the
Kirtlington Golf Academy.
The programme, which was aimed at students with a keen interest in learning golf
who are not already members of a golf club, was very successful and enjoyed by all.
It is hoped that the students will have been inspired by the sessions and will continue to play golf in the future.
“We liked the driving range and playing on the Short Course. None of us have
played before and it was a really exciting experience”. (Rebecca, Katie and Hope)
“I think the training has been well structured; we looked at a different part of the
game each week, like putting and driving. The coach came round and gave us
individual tips on how to improve our shots”. (Matthew)
“I played once before but wasn’t very good. I think I’ve improved and
have enjoyed the whole golfing experience”. (Rosie)
“After this training, I definitely intend to play golf more often”. (Harry)
Mr. Baxter, who accompanied the group, said: “Golf is such a great
game in all sorts of ways and it is wonderful of the North Oxfordshire
School Sport Partnership to support this opportunity for students who
have never played the game. It was really good to see girls taking part, as
well as boys”.
Andy Taylor commented: “It’s gone very well. They’ve picked it up
relatively quickly. It has been good to see the students’ enthusiasm and I
hope that they continue to play”.
North Oxfordshire School Sport Partnership Celebration of Sport Day 2011
Twenty nine Cooper School students joined with young people in Years 7 to 10 from across North Oxfordshire to participate in a Celebration of Sport. The
event, organised by the North Oxfordshire School Sport Partnership as the finale to National School Sport Week, took place on Friday 1 July 2011.
As part of National School Sport Week, young people from across North Oxfordshire have been taking part in a “Superstars” competition. Cooper students
from all year groups have been involved in a circuit of activities (speed bounce, standing long jump, press ups and agility run) during their PE lessons, with
many personal bests achieved. The Celebration of Sport Day provided the opportunity for gifted and talented young sportsmen and women to represent their
School at the North Oxfordshire “Superstars” Final. Our students featured strongly and we had athletes placed in all categories. Well done to the following
who made the podium and won medals: Dan Heijink (Yr 7/8 boys, bronze), Emily Benfield (Yr 9/10 girls, bronze), Lito Michaeledou (Yr 7/8 girls, silver),
Rafael Garcia-Krailing (Yr 9/10 boys, silver) and special congratulations to Barney Lewis who took the gold medal and title as North Oxfordshire champion
in the Yr 9/10 boys’ event.
As well as the “Superstars” Final, there was a range of exciting Olympic and Paralympic activities, delivered by Community Sports Coaches available at the
Celebration of Sport Day and our students enjoyed their sessions which included tennis, fencing, golf, volleyball, archery and table tennis.
In the build up to “London 2012”, the day of sport began and ended in true Olympic style with inspirational opening and closing ceremonies which brought
participants from all the schools involved together in celebration. The Cooper School students demonstrated the Olympic spirit and values throughout the
day and were excellent ambassadors for the School.
The Cooper School, Churchill Road, Bicester, Oxon OX26 4RS
01869 242121